
^41 



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Constitution 



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Incorporated April i6, 1874. 




washington, d. c. 

Gibson Brothers, Printers. 

1880. 



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CONSTITUTION 



Article I. 



This Association shall be known as the Order of the 
Stars and Stripes, and the several organizations of the 
same shall be known as "The Subordinate Council," 
" The State Council," and "The National Council, " of said 
Order. 

Article II. 

Section 1. A , Su4;x)rdinate Council "i^iay be'^i^ormed in 5 "^ 
any place\{here fiye o^ more sucij perso^ as ar^herein- , I ^* 
after descru^ed may wish to become m^bers of this J t^'^ 
Order. ^ 

Sec. 2. "The State Council," while in session, shall 
select such place for its next meeting as may seem best 
for the interests of the Order in its own jurisdiction. 

Sec. 3. "The National Council" of the Order shall 
forever remain in the Cit}' of Washington, in the District 
of Columbia. 

Article III. 

Section 1. Any person who served in the land or naval 
forces of the United States dui'ing the late rebellion, who 
Avas honorably discharged therefrom, and has since re- 
mained faithful to the Union of the States, shall be eligible 
to membership in this Order. 

Sec. 2. The son of a soldier, sailor, or marine, upon 
furnishing proof of his father's service in the army or 
navy during the late rebellion, as provided in this Article ; 
who is eighteen years of age ; has always been, and now 
is, faithful to the Union of the States, shall also be eligible 
to membership in this Order. 

Sec. 3. Each Subordinate Council shall fix the amount 



of initiation fee and dues in such sums as may in its 
discretion be deemed advisable. Mortuary and sick benefits 
may be paid if a Council shall so decide. 

Seo. 4. If any member shall be in arreai's three months, 
he shall be notified by the Secretary, and if he remains in 
arrears one month thereafter, such member shall not be 
considered in good standing, nor shall he be allowed to 
vote on any question before the Council, and at the end 
of sixty days from date of notification of such arrears, 
unless they shall have been paid, his name shall be dropped 
from the rolls of this Order. 

Sec. 5. No member shall be expelled from this Order, 
except as hereinafter provided for contempt, without 
written charges have been preferred in the Council to 
which he belongs, a fair trial, and two-thirds of all pres- 
ent voting for conviction ; said trial to be had within 
thirty days from date of said charges. 

Sec. 6. If a member shall be dropped 'from the rolls 
and be again admitted, he shall pay the fees prescribed in 
Section 3 of this Article. 

Sec. 7. If any member shall be granted a transfer card, 
and shall die before becoming affiliated with another 
Council of this Order, he shall be held as being a mem- 
ber in good standing of the Council which granted such 
transfer : Provided, That four months have not elapsed 
since the date of such transfer. 

Sec. 8. On balloting for the admission of any person, 
if one black ball appears the applicant shall be suspended 
for two weeks ; and if, on a second ballot, one black ball 
still appears, the applicant shall not be eligible to mem- 
bership until the expiration of three mouths. If two or 
more black balls appear, he shall be rejected for six 
months. 

Sec. 9. The right of a member to vote a black ball 
against the admission of an applicant shall neither be 
questioned nor debated. 

Article IV. 

Section 1. When it is desired to institute a Council of 



this Order, five or more such persons as are described iu 
Sections 1 and 2, Article 3, shall make written applica- 
tion to the State or National Council, furnishing proof of 
the statements therein contained, and if approved, a 
charter shall be issued, and the Council shall be instituted ^ ? 

in accordance with the forms, manner, and customs of 
this Order. 

Sec. 2. Upon the institution of a Council, the members^;, ^ t ^^ 
present shall choose their officers, who shall take their ' -i £^ 
seats and serve until the first annual meeting thereafter, , Cv^ 

at which time a new election shall be hel^d^-as hereinafter 
provided. ^^^f 

Sec. 3. Every Council having twenty members in good 
standing on its rolls shall be entitled to one representative %^^i 
in the State Council, and one additional representative for */ • i j 
each additional twenty members, or major fraction there- ^p-^ ' 
of, who are in good standing in the Council. ) "V ' 

Sec. 4. Each Council shall forward to the Secretary of ' ,.f / 
the ]>fational Counci^a quarterly report^, with number of ^ 
members iu good standing. '" <ji_ 1-f : ; -X^ji I ^"^ ^.jv^l 1^ 

Article V. 

Section 1. The designation of the Officers of the Coun- 
cil in this Order shall be a President, Vice-President, 
Secretary, Treasurer, Marshal, and two Guards. These 
officers, except the Guards, who shall be appointed by the 
President, shall be elected by ballot, by majority vote, . 

at the annual meeting of the Council. ! 

Sec. 2, The standing committees of the Council shall 
be a Finance Committee of three members and an Execu- '^ 
tive Committee of five members, who shall be elected by 
ballot, by majority vote^to serve until their successor* 
shall be chosen and qualified. 

Sec. 3. When any officer of a Council, or any delegate 
to either the State or National Council, or any member of 
a committee, whether elected or appointed, shall absent 
himself from the meetings of his Council for two months, 
except in case of sickness, such person shall be consid- 



-^^.v 



ered as vacating his office, and no member who has ab- 
sented himself from the regular meetings of his Council 
for the space of two months previous to an election shall 
be eligible to any office in the same./v 

Sec. 4. Should a vacancy occur in any elective office, 
from any cause, such vacancy shall be filled by election, 
for the balance of the unexpired term, at the next regular 
meeting after such vacancy has been declared ami. due 
notice of such election given. "^ 

Article VI. 

Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings, 
shall receive the* password from the proper officer, and 
impart the same to members of his own Council only. 
He shall carry into execution all laws and decrees of the 
Council not in conflict with the Constitution and work of 
this Oi'der. 

Sec. 2. The Vice-President shall discharge the duties of 
the President in his absence. 

Akticle VII. 

Any member of the Order cited to appear before his 
Council to answer charges regularly made and proceed- 
ings had, as laid down in the ''Manual" under '* Charges 
•ami„Txial," who shall refuse to heed the order of the 
Council, and shall fail to present himself at the time 
specified in said notice, shall be adjudged guilty of con- 
tempt toward this Order ; he shall be summarily expelled 
from the Council ; other Councils shall be notified of ^ 
said action, either -directly or through the State Council**^'**'. 
The expelled shall not be treated any more as a member ; ^ 
neither shall an application from him to be again ad- | 
mitted ever be considered in any C/Ouncil of this Order. V^j 

Article VIII. 

Section 1. The regular meetings of the Council shall 
be held once each month, or ofteuer, as each Council 
may decide. 



Sec. 2. The annual session of the Council shall take 
place on the first regular meeting in November of each 
year. 

Sec. 3. Each Council may adopt By-Laws for its own 
government, not in conflict with this Constitution. 



yt.^«^f cx.^ 'LO^ Oi-t^ I / 






STATE COUNCIL. 



Section 1. When twenty-five Councils, each having 
twenty or more members, shall have been organized in 
any state, the National Council shall order an election for 
Delegates to form the State Council for said State, and 
shall give notice of the time and place for the first meeting 
of the same. 

Sec. 2. The State Council shall be composed of Dele- 
gates in the ratio of one for each Council having twenty 
members, and an additional Delegate for each additional 
twenty members in good standing, or major fraction 
thereof, and its first meeting shall be held under authority 
from the National Council. 

Sec. 3. The annual meeting of the State Council shall 
be held on the first Wednesday in December of each year. 

Sec. 4. Called meetings may be held, when so ordered 
by either the National or State Executive Committee. 

Sec. 5. The State Council shall have no jurisdiction 
outside its own State. 

The State Council shall, at its annual meeting, forward 
to the Secretary of the National Council the number of 
Delegates in attendance, a list of its officers for the ensu- 
ing year, together with a full report of number of Coun- 
cils in the State and the total membership of the same. 



NATIONAL COUNCIL. 



Section 1, The grand body of this Order shall be styled 
The National, Council of the Order of the Stars and 
Stripes, and shall meet annually on the 15th day of Jan- 
uary, when the same does not fall on Sunday ; in that 
event it shall meet on the succeeding day. 

Sec. 2. The National Council shall have power to char- 
ter State and Subordinate Councils ; to determine all ques- 
tions relating to the Order that may be submitted to it 
by other Councils, either by agreement or appeal ; to pre- 
scribe and enforce a uniform mode of work, and to per- 
form such other duties for the good of the Order as would 
properly devolve upon a representative body. In all things 
relating to the Order the National Council shall have su- 
preme legislative, judicial, and executive authority under 
this Constitution. 

Sec. 3. The National Council shall consist of represen- 
tatives from each State in which the Order exists, in the 
ratio of one for each State Council, and one for every two 
hundred members, and one for a final fraction of more 
than one-half that number — such members being in good 
standing and resident within the jurisdiction of the State 
Council. 

Sec. 4. The elective officers of the National Council 
shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, 
Treasurer, and an Executive Committee of one from each 
State represented, who shall be elected by ballot at the 
annual meeting of the National Council, and shall per- 
form the duties of their respective offices until their suc- 
cessors are duly elected and have signified their accept- 
ance of the same. The President of the National Council 
shall be ex officio a member of the Executive Committee. 



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